Different possibilities regarding the combination of single articles to larger packs are already known. Thus, containers for beverages, for example, are combined and packed to packs of four, six or more containers mostly by means of shrink films. Mostly, the production of packs is necessary, since packs are the most frequent alternative of sales units for containers for beverages and bottles made of PET polymer. The packs are in parts combined once more for transport purposes and/or arranged in layers and palletized.
The shrink films used for the production of known packs are in need of certain production steps which on the other hand demand a relatively high need of energy. Besides, the used film causes production costs, costs for supply and for the handling as well as for later disposal, since said films are no longer needed after the sale. Likewise, the machinery equipment for the supply of the so called film wrapping modules and other handling stations causes high investment costs. Finally, the supply of the so called shrinking tunnel, wherein the film, which is being wrapped about the packs, is being shrinked about the bottles by means of hot air admission, also causes relatively major capital investment.
Furthermore, the containers can be held together and combined with each other to one pack by means of so called strapping strips. When using such strapping strips, however, a problem can arise in the fact that the packs do not remain rugged due to no definite allocation of the containers. The containers neither form a rugged longitudinal formation nor a diagonal formation of the packs after such a strapping. The reason is that the containers and hence the pack can be positioned from a longitudinal formation into a diagonal formation or vice versa by means of mechanic influence during the transport in further processing machines. Likewise, no higher tension of the strapping strips leads to the minimization of the shifting of the containers, since a rolling-off of the cylindrical containers against each other cannot be reliably avoided. A reason for this fact is, for example, that the containers, particularly the PET containers, are not dimensionally stable.
DE 20 2006 000 215 U1 discloses a pack which comprises products which are held together by a packing material. The packing material has two packing sections that stick together to strongly and firmly hold the products together. An adhesive strip is provided at one end of the packing material and spun about the products, wherein an overlap of the two ends is created. The package material sections formed thereof are fastened in an adhesive manner about the products by means of forces which hold said products together. It is proposed to provide an adhesive strip at an outer surface of a free end of the strip-like packaging material so that the free end of the packaging material is self-adhesive. In this embodiment of a pack, the containers can be shifted in their formation and do not remain rugged in the pack.
DE 693 11 338 T2 discloses a bundling-up device for container sets which comprises a membrane made of plastic material and is defined by a tubular band adapted to wrap and tighten a predetermined number of containers disposed in side by side relation, at side portions thereof, as well as a carrying handle for handling the unitary container set.
A pack with several bottles is known from DE 1 457 489 A, wherein said bottles are held together by means of endless strips in order to form a package. A handle serves for carrying the package.
An extruded plastic container carrier is known from US 38 13 123 A, wherein said extruded plastic container carrier comprises ribbons of greater vertical than horizontal measurement being formed of plastic material which has been extruded and fused in the molten or semi-molten state.
A carrier device and a package including it is known from EP 0 142 360 A2. A package for bottles for similar containers uses a single sheet-like resilient carrier device including a series of apertures, which are pushed over the bottles until the carrier is positioned midway of the body of the bottles and individually grips the bottles. A pair of handles is created diagonally opposite of the apertures of the carrier. The handles move upwardly between the ranks of the bottles as the carrier is associated with the bottles.
A package and a method for producing said package is disclosed in US 57 75 486 A. In order to prevent honeycombing of the containers of adjacent multipacks each having a container positioning top carrier, and which are combined together by means of a strapping band, cardboard or other material is placed between the juxtaposed surfaces of the cylindrical containers in each group before the strapping band is applied.